App State Hosts SoCon Wrestling Championship Sunday

Published Friday, March 8, 2019 at 12:17 pm

Three teams shared the Southern Conference regular season title. One team will secure possession of the tournament trophy when the 2019 SoCon Wrestling Championship is held Sunday in Boone at the Holmes Convocation Center.

Tickets to the all-day event cost $15 for adults, $10 for youth (ages 6-12) and $8 apiece for members of a group with 10 or more people. Children ages 5 and under — as well as students with a valid ID from Appalachian State, Campbell, The Citadel, Davidson, Gardner-Webb, Chattanooga and VMI — can attend for free.

The Holmes Convocation Center doors will open at 9 a.m. on March 10, with competition scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Semifinals are scheduled for noon, with consolation quarterfinals set for 2 p.m., followed by consolation semifinals.

Consolation finals are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., and the championship finals for the 10 weight classes (as well as any true place matches, if needed) will start at 7 p.m.

To purchase tickets, order them online HERE or call the App State Athletics ticket office at 828-262-2079. On Saturday, a day before the championship, a Smackdown Hoedown with food trucks and live music in a family-friendly atmosphere will be held at the Appalachian Mountain Brewery from 4-10 p.m.

In support of Headlock on Hunger, the donation of a food item Sunday cuts $3 off the price of a championship ticket purchased that day at the door. An outreach of Eblen Charities, the Asheville-based Headlock on Hunger is a nonprofit organization partnering with wrestling teams from middle school through college by collecting food and cash donations via meets, tournaments, social media and other campaigns.

Appalachian State is the reigning tournament champion, and the Mountaineers shared the 2019 regular season title with Chattanooga and Campbell. All three teams went 5-1 in the seven-team league.

In addition to the team title that’s at stake, the SoCon Championship serves as an individual qualifier for the NCAA Championships that will be held in Pittsburgh from March 21-23.

In the Southern Conference, based on NCAA allotments that factor in national rankings, there is one automatic qualifier in seven of the 10 weight classes and two automatic qualifiers at 149 pounds, 174 pounds and 197 pounds. After the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining at-large qualifiers.